This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Iron Hill School Number 112C" (with photographs), interviews with former pupils, and other source materials. The lesson was written by Susan Brizzolara Wojcik, Historic Preservation Planner, New Castle County Department of Land Use. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country.

Objectives for students1) To consider the impact segregation had on the quality of education available to African Americans.2) To explain education concepts of the Progressive Era that were incorporated into African-American schools in Delaware.3) To examine the motives and results of Pierre Samuel du Pont's philanthropic efforts on behalf of Delaware's African-American school children.4) To discover the history of their own school.

Materials for students
The materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied and distributed to students. The map, photographs, floor plan, and advertisement appear twice: in a low-resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger, high-resolution version.1)a map of Delaware;2)three readings about du Pont's contribution and Progressive school architecture;3)three photos of Iron Hill School and an African-American school in Louisiana;4)a floor plan of the Iron Hill School;5)a 1919 advertisement for school equipment.

Visiting the Site
The Iron Hill School is owned and operated by the Delaware Academy of Science, Inc., as the Iron Hill Museum of Natural History. The museum is located at 1355 Old Baltimore Pike, south of Newark. For museum hours and days of operation, call (302) 368-5703.